克林頓總統：

“我的關於美國建國250周年及國家現狀的聲明”

“My statement on   America at 250 and the State of the Country”

【編者按】7月4日，是美國國慶節。2026年7月4日，是美國建國250周年。今天，美國前總統克林頓給鄧明昱博士發來郵件。主題是：“我的關於美國建國250周年及國家現狀的聲明“。郵件的全文及中文翻譯如下。

IACMSP秘書處

2026年7月4日

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Mingyu, 

Two hundred and fifty years ago in Philadelphia, our Founders embarked on a radical experiment and declared a new nation rooted in the ideal of equality, with an elected government charged to advance life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

Since then, our government of, by, and for the people has become the longest-lasting continuous democracy in the history of the world. 

Our road from 1776 to today has been, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “piled high with difficulty.” At every turn, there have been forces of reaction seeking to claw back the extension of our rights and liberties to more people. But by and large, thanks to celebrated leaders and everyday Americans alike, we have stumbled in the right direction—widening the circle of opportunity, deepening the meaning of freedom, and strengthening the bonds of our community. 

Today, we celebrate this milestone amid another period of deep division, renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself. 

The people in charge have unleashed masked agents on American communities to seize people from their homes, workplaces, and the street. They have started an unconstitutional war on a whim, with no clear objectives or exit strategy, and zero regard for the consequences to the lives of millions of people around the world. With the help of lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court and a compliant Congress, they have weaponized government to settle personal scores, prosecute enemies, stamp out free speech, and made the federal government a new profit center for themselves and their allies. Their New Deal is socialism for the super-rich (and their own enrichment) even if it means increasing poverty, inequality, and illness at home and around the world. They also want to rewrite history to ignore and outright deny our past flaws while banning books that say otherwise from our libraries. And they select even our military leaders based on their version of political correctness over ability. 

But this isn’t the first time we’ve come close to the edge. Throughout our history, we’ve fought about what it means to make our union more perfect and who belongs. So far, at every major turning point, we have chosen inclusion over division: in the early days of the Republic, by building a national economic and legal system; during the Civil War, by preserving the Union and ending slavery; in the early 20th century, as we moved from an agricultural to an industrial society, by making our government stronger to preserve competition, promote basic safeguards for labor, and provide for the poor, the elderly, and the infirm; in the 60s and 70s, by advancing civil rights and women’s rights and protecting our natural resources from plunder; and at the dawn of the new millennium, by moving into the global information age in a way that distributed the benefits of our interdependence to more people. 

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union. They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.” We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows. 

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy. 

There is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America. We see it in the people lining up to vote, no matter how hard some may try to prevent them. We see it in those bringing groceries to their neighbors, donating to charities in record numbers, and serving their country and communities in countless ways. And we see it in the immigrants eager to bring their talents, hard work, and dreams to our country. 

So today, celebrate the miracle that has brought us this far. I know I will, because I love my country so much. Then tomorrow, wake up, and ask yourself what part you will play to keep making our union more perfect by keeping our country in the future business. We owe that much to those who struggled and sacrificed to bring us this far, and to our children and grandchildren who soon will inherit that future.

President Bill Clinton

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1200 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201

【中文翻譯】

明昱， 

250年前在費城，我們的建國先賢們開始了一項激進的實驗，宣布建立一個以平等理想為根基的新國家，並設立民選政府，以促進生命、自由和追求幸福。 

自那時以來，我們這個民有、民治、民享的政府已成為世界歷史上持續時間最長的民主政體。 

從1776年到今天，我們走過的道路，正如亞伯拉罕·林肯所言，是“充滿坎坷”。每一步，都有反動勢力試圖收回我們為更多人爭取到的權利和自由。但總的來說，感謝杰出領袖和普通美國民眾的共同努力，我們朝着正確的方向前進——擴大了機會的範圍，深化了自由的意義，並加強了我們社區的凝聚力。 

今天，我們慶祝這一里程碑，但與此同時，美國又一次陷入嚴重分裂，人們對美國的未來及其在世界上的角色提出了新的質疑，我們自身的制度和民主本身也面臨着嚴重威脅。 

掌權者派遣蒙面特工潛入美國社區，從人們的家中、工作場所和街頭強行抓捕他們。他們一時興起發動了一場違憲戰爭，既沒有明確的目標，也沒有撤退策略，完全不顧及這場戰爭對全球數百萬人生活造成的後果。在最高法院終身任命法官和唯命是從的國會的幫助下，他們將政府武器化，用來打擊私人恩怨、迫害敵人、扼殺言論自由，並將聯邦政府變成他們及其盟友新的利潤中心。他們的“新政”是為超級富豪（以及他們自身）謀取私利的社會主義，即便這意味着加劇國內和世界各地的貧困、不平等和疾病。他們還想篡改歷史，無視甚至徹底否認我們過去的錯誤，同時禁止圖書館收藏任何與之相悖的書籍。他們甚至在選擇軍事領導人時，也只看重政治正確，而非能力。 

但這並非我們第一次瀕臨崩潰的邊緣。縱觀歷史，我們一直在爭論如何才能使我們的聯邦更加完美，以及誰應該屬於這個聯邦。迄今為止，在每一個重大轉折點，我們都選擇了包容而非分裂：在共和國初期，我們通過建立國家經濟和法律體系；在內戰期間，我們通過維護聯邦統一和廢除奴隸制；在20世紀初，隨着我們從農業社會向工業社會轉型，我們通過加強政府職能來維護競爭、促進勞動者的基本保障，並為窮人、老人和體弱者提供福利；在20世紀六七十年代，我們通過推進民權和婦女權利，並保護我們的自然資源免遭掠奪；在新千年之初，我們通過邁入全球信息時代，讓更多人共享我們相互依存帶來的益處。 

我們的建國先賢賦予我們建立一個更完美的聯邦的使命，他們深知這一點。他們明白美國永遠不會完美，但總能變得更好。這就是他們所說的“更完美”。我們之所以能做到這一點，是因為我們有足夠的勇氣承認自身的缺陷和失誤，並有足夠的魄力將它們拋諸腦後，去迎接更加美好的明天。 

這就是我們前250年的經驗教訓：我們總能做得更好。無論是在現實生活中還是在網絡上，我們都應該如何待人接物；我們應該如何為自己、家人和社區建設更美好的未來；我們應該如何挺身而出、積極參與、捍衛我們的民主。

美國目前存在的所有問題，都能夠用美國自身的優勢來解決。我們看到，無論有些人如何阻撓，人們都堅持排隊投票；我們看到，人們為鄰居送去生活必需品，以創紀錄的人數向慈善機構捐款，並以無數種方式服務於國家和社區；我們也看到，移民們渴望將他們的才華、辛勤工作和夢想帶到我們的國家。 

所以今天，讓我們慶祝這奇蹟般的成就，正是它引領我們走到今天。我知道我會這麼做，因為我深愛我的祖國。明天醒來，捫心自問，為了讓我們的聯邦更加完美，為了讓我們的國家在未來繼續發展，您將扮演怎樣的角色。我們虧欠那些為我們走到今天而奮鬥犧牲的人們，也虧欠即將繼承這份未來的子孫後代。

比爾·克林頓總統

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阿肯色州小石城克林頓總統大道1200號，郵編72201